‘Leave him for a while,’ Ivy said and we moved away to let him rest. His eyes closed.
Left alone we had nothing to do except talk. Jenna was the only person I’d told about seeing Miss Tregarthur at my home, talking to my aunt. Now I let Ivy know the whole story. She didn’t seem to find it strange at all but then she didn’t seem to find anything strange.
‘My mum’s a white witch,’ she told me and explained that was why she knew about herbs and plants. It also explained why odd things didn’t seem odd to Ivy. I wanted to ask her why she was so miserable most of the time, but it didn’t seem a good idea.
‘I guess you want to know why I seem so miserable?’
How did she know that? I stared at her.
‘Everyone wants to know, not many ask.’
‘Oh.’
‘Mum takes it too far,’ Ivy went on, and I suppose I looked baffled. ‘The witch thing. She thinks we should have some special bond. Goes on and on about it. As though we should be telepathic. It drove dad away in the end. He was the only sane one at home.’
She stopped. I saw her body heave. ‘I miss him so much. He won’t come back. Won’t talk to me. It’s just Mum and her daft ideas. I can’t escape and sometimes I just can’t stand it.’
I think I just kept saying, ‘Oh.’ But I was getting anxious about time passing. If we had to carry Sam it would take hours to get anywhere up the hill. ‘We’ll have to wake him,’ I said in the end.
Ivy gently removed the pile of leaves from his back and Sam stirred. He was a little better. We propped him up and gave him water. He tried to stand, but we both had to hold him and that’s how we set off. I knew he was still in awful pain but Sam was a stronger person than I’d realised. It wasn’t long before he tried to walk on his own, stumbling but still moving, and we slowly made our way upwards.
As we rose higher I thought it looked like we were on a solitary peak. It rose through the forest, quite a distance from the main range of mountains. Climbing even higher the few trees that clung to the rock looked dead, with cracked sun bleached branches. By the time we reached the top it was early evening and not light enough to make out much detail in the forest below, but we were above the treetops and could see the last rays of the sun setting over the distant peaks.
‘I think we should stop here for the night.’ I pointed to a rock ledge, below the top of the hill. It would provide some shelter.
Sam collapsed on the grass. He wasn’t moving or talking. Ivy had brought some of her leaf mixture and she spread more on to his back. The stings were less angry but Sam was exhausted by the climb. We tried to make him comfortable.
‘At least this feels safer than the trail,’ I said as Ivy and I ate some of our food and looked at Sam. I could see that Ivy was thinking of something awful to say, so I said, ‘Unless you think there are monster eagles that will swoop down and rip us to pieces?’
‘Don’t be stupid,’ replied Ivy. ‘It would be pterodactyls.’ She turned away and I half-wondered if Ivy had just made a joke.
‘There aren’t pterodactyls ... are there?’ Sam muttered drowsily. I thought that must be a good sign.
‘A fire would be good,’ I said. I think we were quite high up and it felt colder.
‘No problem.’ Ivy had brought along pieces of flint, moss and sticks in her pack. ‘Matt showed me how to start a fire.’
I broke up some pieces of dead wood. After several attempts, Ivy made a spark by hitting the flints together and the fire started to burn.
‘Might even keep animals away,’ I said.
‘Not Ryan’s beast,’ replied Ivy.
I really thought I’d seen a smile on Ivy’s face but it was difficult to be sure because it was nearly dark. I lay down, using my backpack as a pillow with an ‘ouch’ before I took out the arrows.
It was a quiet night on the hill. Sam didn’t stir and the only noises were the scufflings we had grown used to hearing. When I woke the sun was up burning off the early morning mist over the forest treetops. The small patches of grass that grew between the rocks were wet with dew. Sam was sitting up.
‘Better?’ I asked.
‘Fine,’ he replied but I wasn’t so sure. I took him some water. As I did we suddenly heard a thunderous roar.
‘What was that?’ Sam cried.
‘It’s coming from the other side of the hill,’ I said.
‘Up here!’ Ivy called in a hushed voice and waved to us. She must have woken earlier and now she lay on her front, looking over the top of the hill.
I crept up to her. Sam followed slowly.
Ivy waved her arm and hissed, ‘Stay down. Stay down.’
Last night it had been too dark to see, but over the top of the hill the ground sloped down to a large open green area dotted with small trees and bushes; edged with cliffs that fell away in the distance. One large tree stood alone and near this a huge mammoth roared and charged backwards and forwards. Chasing it were ten or more hairy men, screaming and grunting and howling and waving clubs. The men looked a bit like Trog, but taller and had skins tied around their waists. The terrified mammoth rushed from side to side trying to escape the noise and men. Finally the mammoth raced across the plain and disappeared over the edge, along with a huge howl from the cavemen.
‘I’ve seen a movie about this ... or read a book ... or something,’ Ivy mumbled.
‘Is this all a film?’ I wondered.
‘So that’s how you catch a mammoth,’ Sam said bravely.
The group of men followed the mammoth, scrambling over the cliff edge and slowly disappeared. Silence returned as we stared at the empty space below.
‘It’s too much – mammoths, cavemen, sniffers.’ Sam put his head in his hands, bravery deserting him. ‘How are we ever going to survive in this?’
‘Probably won’t ...’
‘Ivy, please!’ I didn’t think that needed saying. ‘Sam do you think you can go on? Or do we need to go back.’
Sam got to his feet. ‘Go on.’
We ate a little and then clambered down the rocky hill only needing to help Sam from time to time although I could see he was still in pain. We made our way back to the track.
‘I hadn’t really believed you ... about the mammoths,’ said Ivy.
‘Me neither,’ added Sam.
‘This has got to have some connection to Miss Tregarthur,’ I said, stopping and leaning against a tree.
‘What was she doing here? Something disgusting I expect.’ Ivy spoke her thoughts aloud.
‘How did she get here?’ Sam seemed to be thinking similar thoughts. ‘And how did she get back?’
‘I think it was all a plan to come back here and I think she planned to bring us with her,’ Ivy said firmly. ‘From what you told me yesterday I think that all fits.’
‘What did Alvin tell you yesterday?’ Sam asked.
‘Tell you later. We need to get on.’ I tried to set off but Ivy stopped me.
‘That teacher was worse than weird,’ she said. ‘Some of the younger ones said she gets nasty. I think it was Sara who said there were stories ...’
‘Yeah, stories and this feels like one. But this promise must have something to do with saving someone.’ I moved off.
‘Could be her dad? Didn’t her note say something about her dad being really ill? Maybe he’s the one who needs saving,’ Sam added as he followed me.
‘Why would she think we could save her dad?’ I snapped. ‘I mean what use would a group of crazy kids be to some sick old man?’
Sam looked away.
‘What happened to those two women who were supposed to be helping? Someone’s mothers I think,’ Ivy said.
‘They just seemed to disappear when the rain started,’ I replied. ‘Somehow all that seems just as unreal as it does here. Ev
ery time I try and think about things before – home or anything, it seems a bit blurred.’
The other two agreed with me.
‘I guess we just push on.’ I went for the trail – to search for the cave, wondering what else we might find.
Ryan said that the trail ended at the base of the foothills. ‘Just follow the stream after that.’
The thick trees and plants started to thin out as we climbed again. I couldn’t see any trees at all on the peaks, only bare black rock. The mountains looked bleak and unfriendly. Even on this warm day a ring of mist swirled around the summits. We were soon out of breath and high enough to look back towards the hill where we’d spent the previous night.
‘We must keep going. We don’t want to be stuck here, like Zach, when it gets dark,’ I called to Sam who was lagging behind with Ivy staying with him. I could see it was difficult for him but we might not be safe here. I looked on up ahead. ‘That might be the cave,’ I said, waiting as the other two caught up.
The dark patch became an obvious opening as we climbed further.
‘Should we go round to the side first, in case the sniffer is in there?’ Sam stopped and shuffled.
I nodded and we walked around, looking up for any sign of movement against the dark opening. Getting closer, a slow step at a time, I fingered the bow Jack had given me. I wasn’t sure it would be any use. I stopped and listened. It all seemed so quiet. I moved forward. Ivy and Sam stopped as I inched towards a pillar of rock that marked the entrance to the cave. Holding on to the rock I peered in – it was too dark to see what lay inside. I drew an arrow from my pack and held the bow half drawn.
‘Stay there,’ I whispered, but Sam and Ivy didn’t look as though they were going anywhere.
My heart pounded as I took a few more slow steps. I looked back over my shoulder at the other two, decided I had to go for it and stepped into the shadows. It was much colder and I shivered and waited for my eyes to grow accustomed to the dark. There was a sound of scuffling coming from the deepest corners of the cave. I stopped and the scuffling stopped. I took another step. Something leapt from behind a pile of small rocks and rushed towards me.
I fired off an arrow and fled, shouting, ‘Run!’
I collided with the other two before they had time to move and we all fell in a heap as we were overtaken by several, very small, animals that fled out of the cave and disappeared down the hillside.
‘What were they?’ said a pale and shaking Sam.
‘They looked like guinea pigs.’ I felt really stupid having been driven out of the cave by such small creatures.
‘I expect the bigger ones will be along soon,’ said Ivy.
‘Are the bigger ones still inside?’ Sam didn’t move.
‘Don’t think so,’ I said going back through the entrance.
The cave was damp and rank with a strange smell. Water seeped through the roof and fell into a pool on the sandy floor, making a dripping sound, but apart from that it was quiet in the cave, no more scuffling. There was nothing alive left in the cave.
‘Maybe these are mammoth bones,’ said Sam picking up a huge piece out of the sand.
‘Those aren’t.’ Ivy pointed to a skull. She discovered more bones in the sand.
‘These must be their packs.’ I picked up the remains of backpacks from the back of the cave. They had been ripped to shreds.
‘Can we go?’ Sam trembled.
‘What happened?’ wondered Ivy.
‘There’s more than one skull,’ I said poking the bones with my foot.
The cave seemed even quieter, just the occasional drip of water.
‘Let’s get out ... come on,’ stuttered Sam. ‘It’ll be back soon.’
‘I think the sniffing thing got them,’ I said. ‘But I don’t think it can have been here for a while, there’s no fresh meat.’
I shuddered as I looked at the bones – bones probably belonging to someone we knew, bones that had been chewed by animals, one of which might return at any moment.
‘That could be blood.’ Ivy pointed to a large stain on the sandy floor, lit by a ray of sunshine penetrating the dark.
I stared around the cave, looking at the bones, the blood and the torn backpacks. ‘I can’t work this out ... that’s Zach’s club ...’ I pointed at a broken branch in the corner of the cave. Zach had carved notches in the wood.
‘And there’s this.’ Sam held up Ryan’s lighter, which he had found partly buried in the sand.
‘But I can only find three skulls.’ I couldn’t follow this. ‘Maybe someone escaped.’
‘But how?’ Sam moved nearer to the entrance.
‘Impossible to work that out, but I agree with Sam that we should get out of here.’ Sam looked relieved until I said, ‘But I want to go further up the mountain.’
‘Why?’ was Sam’s shrill reply. ‘Haven’t we found what we’ve been looking for?’
‘We need to be certain. See if anyone did escape.’ I set my face hard, I didn’t want any discussion.
We left the cave and continued to climb. As the light faded, we’d nearly reached the rocky crags of the summit. We stopped under another rock overhang.
‘I’ve only got berries left,’ said Sam looking into his backpack. Sam was looking much better despite the long climb.
‘Me too,’ replied Ivy. ‘We finished off the chuckerns last night.’
‘I’ve still got some smoked meat,’ I said tearing off two pieces from a chunk I had in my pack. ‘Not sure how you tell when this stuff is rotten.’ I sniffed the pieces and screwed up my nose, before throwing some to the other two. Despite the smell we all ended up chewing lumps of smoked meat.
That night up on the mountain, above the trees, we felt the cold. We hadn’t carried any wood with us and couldn’t light a fire so we huddled together and waited for dawn. I didn’t think going back to the sniffer cave was a good idea.
As the light slowly appeared, we moved on and soon could see over the top of the mountain and into the distance. Standing in silence we saw a vast dark landscape of trees beneath us. There were no familiar towns or houses; only more trees. We watched as the sun rose, bringing colour to the landscape, but seeing nearly only one colour – green. In the far distance I thought I might be able to see the sea. The mist hanging over miles and miles of forest made it difficult to be certain.
‘Nothing.’ I sat heavily on the ground. I’d believed there might be something, something that would show us signs of human life.
‘Wait! There’s something down there.’ Sam pointed down the mountain.
‘Anyone selling pizza?’ I said but didn’t get up.
‘Don’t expect they deliver,’ added Ivy.
‘No, you look, down there, huts. Look.’
I jumped up. ‘And people,’ I said as I shaded my eyes and stared.
‘They must be the ones who killed the mammoth,’ said Ivy. ‘I’m not sure if they would help us. More likely they would chase us over a cliff as well.’
‘I still want to go down and have a look. We’ve got to see. This may be the answer. Let’s go – but quietly. We want to get a close look at them before they see us.’
The other two looked doubtful, but they followed – keeping as quiet as possible. Lower down, the trees and bushes grew again and we tried to keep hidden. The mammoth hunters had looked wild and savage.
By the time we reached the bottom of the mountain the weather had changed. The sky darkened as clouds gathered behind us and wind rustled the trees. We crept through the bushes keeping the huts in sight.
‘Keep down,’ I said in a hushed whisper, crouching behind a prickly bush and waving at the other two to do the same.
We were now close enough to see people walking around the circle of primitive huts. The people looked like
the mammoth hunters, except they were all women.
‘Where are the men?’ Sam stared with his mouth wide open – some of the women wore bits of skins, but few of them wore much in the way of clothing.
‘Isn’t that Demelza?’ I pointed to one of the figures.
‘I think it is,’ Sam replied, his mouth still open.
‘Do you think they’re going to eat her?’ Ivy’s eyes opened nearly as wide as Sam’s mouth although I thought that Ivy didn’t sound too concerned.
‘Are we going to try and get her out of there?’ Sam said while sinking lower behind the bush.
‘Not sure if she has been captured, she’s not tied up and I think she’s doing something.’ I pointed. Demelza seemed to be grinding something with a stone. ‘Maybe she was rescued.’
‘How do we find out?’ Sam shuffled and looked nervous.
‘I think that’ll be simple – we ask them.’ I tapped Sam on the shoulder indicating to him to turn around.
A crowd of short, hairy cavemen with very large clubs had silently gathered behind us. My first thought was that we were going to die, but my second thought came quickly, ‘What is that terrible smell?’
Crow
-12-
Against the blackening sky one caveman stood out. With his club raised he advanced, taller, hairier and even smellier than the rest. A huge furry animal skin added to the caveman’s hairiness and smelliness. The flattened skin draped over his shoulders with huge paws tied together in front. The animal’s head hung over his back with two sharp curved tusks sticking out from its open mouth.
The caveman looked us up and down, or as Ivy said later, ‘wondering how to cook us’. Then he pointed at the bow I carried, opened his mouth wide and roared: ‘Haarfer.’ The rest joined in, stamping their feet and howling the word, ‘Haarfer.’
Escape was impossible as their leader wrapped me in a hug. The others cheered, a cheer mixed with a grunt and a spray of spit. Ivy and Sam were standing absolutely rigid, but were wrapped up in smelly hairy hugs as all the cavemen embraced us.
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